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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM F. COURTNEY, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR ,OF ONE-HALF TOALBERT. BROWN, OF SAME PLACE.

GRIP-OPEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 501,764, dated July18,1893.

Application filed April 19, 1893- Serial No. 471,040. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. COURTNEY, of Oakland, in the county ofAlameda and State of California, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Grip-Openers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in automatic grip openers or releasers inwhich the grip is released by means of a tripping bar arro ranged toengage a suitably placed abutment or bearing, and the present inventionseeks to provide improvements in the tripping bar and in the guidestherefor for the purposes more fully described hereinafter and theinvention consists in the novel constructions, combinations andarrangements of parts as will be hereinafter described and pointed outin the claims.

In the drawing the figure is a side elevation 2c of a grip provided withmy improvements.

The grip which may be of the ordinary side or bottom grip form has itsdetent pawl A connected by the intermediate devices with the verticallymovable tripping plate or bar B which is movable along the rear edge ofthe grip, so that the upward movement of the tripping plate or bar willoperate to release the detent.

As the special construction of the connect- 3o ing devices forms no partof the invention claimed herein a detail description thereof seemsunnecessary. The safety plate or bar B is formed with a main or bodyportion C and with the shank D extended upwardly 3 5 therefrom and isprovided with the opposite front and rear inclines E and F which flareupwardly as shown such inclines being preferably arranged in the circleor bow as presently described. The safety bar is held to the 40 gripblade by the keepers or guides G H the former embracing the upperportion of the shank D and the latter the portion formed with theopposite inclines E F and has the rollers e and f engaging respectivelythe inclines E 5 and F. By providing these front and rear inclines theupward movement of the tripping plate or bar is eased, whether such baris lifted clines ease and guide the descent of the tripping bar to itsnormal position. At its lower end the safety or tripping bar engages anabutment suitably placed in the conduit and is lifted in operation as itpasses over said 5 abutment.

It sometimes occurs that the grip is moved rearwardly for a greater orless distance and to avoid fouling the abutment by the tripping bar Icurve or incline said bar on its rear edge at 1 similarly to its curvedor inclined front edge 2 so that whether the tripping bar be. moved intoengagement with the abutment from either the front or rear thereof itwill ride up over said abutment and release 6 the cable and no foulingor injury of any of the parts will result. It is preferred in securingthis double curvature of the tripping plate to form its lower end in thering or loop form as shown as thereby the portion 3 serves to brace andgive rigidity and firmness to the portions of the tripper which engagethe abutment.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a grip a safety bar having at its lower end reversely curved orinclined tripping surfaces 1 and 2 and provided with opposite upwardlyflared inclines E and F all substan- 8o 'tially as set forth.

2. In a grip a safety bar consisting of the shank and the ring or loopat the lower end thereof provided with the reversely curved trippingsurfaces 1 and 2 and the connecting portion 3 substantially as setforth.

8. The combination with the grip having the keepers or guides of thesafety bar held in said keepers and formed with a shank and a ring orloop extendedrearwardly from the 0 lower end of said shank and formedwith reversely curved or inclined tripping surfaces substantially as setforth.

4. The improvement substantially as herein described consisting of thegrip having keepers G and H, the safety bar held in said keepers andprovided with reversely inclined upwardly flared edges E and F and aring or loop C having curved surfaces 1 and 2 and a connecting portion'3 and the rollers e and f engaging the surfaces E and F substantiallyface 1 and uniting with the safety bar above as set forth. the keeper Hall substantially as shown and 5. The combination with the grip having adescribed. guide or keeper H of the safety bar held in WILLIAM P.COURTNEY. 5 said keeper and provided below the same with Witnesses:

tripping surfaces 1 and 2 and having a con- SAMUEL I-IUMPHREYs, nectingportion 3 extended from tripping sur- THOMAS MILLER.

